Eastern Mennonite University has announced the hiring of Wendell
Eberly as the school’s first-ever head golf coach.
Eberly, also an alumnus and former women’s basketball coach,
will head both the men’s and women’s golf teams at EMU,
both of which will be a varsity sport for the first time this
fall.

He recently retired from a position with Rockingham County,
spending more than 30 years with the county’s recreation
department, including the last 28 as director. Eberly coached
the boy’s golf team at Eastern Mennonite High School this
past year and also works at Heritage Oaks Golf Course in
Harrisonburg, which will be the home course for the Royals.

Further building on the connection with the city-owned course,
David Johns, the head professional at Heritage Oaks, will provide
additional instruction for the EMU golfers.

Eastern Mennonite University Director of Athletics Dave King
feels the combination of the two men will be perfect for the start
up of the program.

“Wendell brings a familiarity with the university, the
Harrisonburg community and Heritage Oaks that will help him fit
into the collegiate coaching role and get the golf program up and
running,” King explained. “David's familiarity of
golf programs, including his collegiate playing days at James
Madison University, will help in establishing the golf
program. The combination of Wendell's administrative
experience and David's teaching expertise and experience provides
the foundation for a great start to our golf teams. That
combination will also be an attraction to recruits who want to
improve their game. The availability of both Wendell and
David at the golf course will greatly benefit the players during
their practice sessions.”

Eberly was pleased to see EMU add the sport on the varsity
level.

“The more I started talking about this opportunity the
more exited I got,” he said. “I love golf and
it’s a great program for EMU to get involved with as it
provides a lifetime activity for the student-athletes.”

Immediately after graduating from Eastern Mennonite in 1975,
Eberly coached the women’s basketball team to three winning
seasons on an interim basis preceding Hall of Honor coach Sandy
Brownscombe. He now brings his involvement with his alma
mater full circle.

“I’ve been involved with EMU for many years,”
said Eberly. “I graduated from here, my wife graduated
from here and we’ve had two daughters graduate from
here. So I’ve been involved with the community for many
years and stayed up on their sports activities. It’s a
good institution and I’m excited to be a part of
it.”

The collegiate golf season spans all year, with events in both
the fall and spring leading up to the ODAC Championship in
April. King knows that with the timing of the hiring, the
majority of EMU’s first team members might already be on
campus.

“While we are really late in the recruiting process, we
are hopeful that as Wendell gets started, we can still find a few
student-athletes that would like to be a part of this new
program,” King said. “We have a lot to learn
about the golf program, but having Wendell and David working
together, I believe that we can make up for lost time. We are
grateful to the Loyal Royals who have provided funding so Wendell
can begin working immediately.”

Eberly and his wife Carol live in Harrisonburg. They have
two grown daughters that live in the area along with two
grandchildren.